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Sandy • Utah's police academy will begin a pilot program to teach future officers how to interact with pet dogs.
The Utah Peace Officer Standards and Training Council on Monday approved a plan to train cadets on dog behavior, encountering hostile dogs and alternatives to use of force.
If the pilot program is successful, it could be expanded to police training programs across the state later this year.
Lt. Wade Bruer, who oversees training at the academy, said previous cadet classes only learned how to interact with police dogs, such as those that sniff for drugs or bombs. Cadets will spend one or two hours learning about pet dogs, and that training may increase to up to eight hours depending on the success of the pilot program, Bruer said.
The training also could be expanded to police officers already on the job.
Police and pet dogs became a hot topic in Utah last year after a Salt Lake City officer searching for a lost boy encountered a dog named Geist in a back yard. The officer shot and killed Geist, sparking an outcry.
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